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OK ok so it's been a long while since my last post. 7 months to be exact. This isn't exactly brand new music news, but I have been listening to this Album since the day it came out. On August 21, 2015 Ghost's third studio album Meliora, the follow up to Infestissumam, was released. I had heard a few songs from this band in the past but never really paid much attention because I thought while it sounded good, based on their costumes and stage names the would be just another flash in the pan. Boy was I wrong!! Anonymity is a major characteristic of Ghost.

A Brief history of Ghost...

Ghost (formerly known as Ghost B.C. in the United States) is a Swedish heavy metal band that was formed in Linköping in 2006. In 2010, they released a 3-track demo followed by a 7" vinyl titled "Elizabeth," and later their debut full-length album Opus Eponymous. The Grammy-nominated album was widely praised and increased their popularity significantly. Their second album and major label debut Infestissumam was released in 2013, debuted at number one in Sweden, and won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album.

Ghost are easily recognizable because of their awe inspiring on-stage presence. Five of the group's six members known as the "Nameless Ghouls", wear silver masks with horns and the vocalist wears a skull mask/face paint and is dressed as a "demonic anti-Pope" known as Papa Emeritus III. There have been three different characters taking the name Papa Emeritus, each younger than the last. (Part of Ghost's gimmick is that each Papa Emeritus "dies" and is succeeded by a different Papa Emeritus with every album, even though it is, in fact, the same vocalist.) The second welcomed his younger brother as the new Papa Emeritus on June 3, 2015 in Linköping after being "fired" due to not performing his duty in overthrowing governments and churches. For more on the bands formation check out this interview from Artisan News Service. GHOST BC ORIGINS - HOW THE GROUP WAS BUILT.

Ok now lets get back to the review...

If you're not a heavy metal head don't be afraid to give these guys a chance. There's something for everyone. Even though they are classified as a Doom Metal band their music hearkens back to the age of traditional heavy metal. I head influences of Blue Oyster Cult's, Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll, Judas Priest's Fever, Deep Purple's Perfect Strangers as well as the progressive and psychedelic rock of the late '60s. In an interview one Nameless Ghoul said they are influenced by "everything ranging from classic rock to the extreme underground metal bands of the ’80s to film scores to the grandeur of emotional harmonic music and described Ghost's music as a mix between pop music and death metal.

You can definitely hear all of those influences all throughout the new album. Some of my favorite tracks on the album include a mixture of heavy riffs, melodic vocal and organ melodies that help to create deep rich atmosphere that serve as the backdrop for the occult references and satanic imagery of Ghost.

"Circe" was a wise choice for a first single. As seen in the debut video above the contrast of acoustic guitars and foreboding strings it's just the launching pad for the song's main riff. Ghost really stepped up their game with more aggressive yet easily accessible rhythms. There is even a small nod to Slayer in the opening riffs.Whether that is true or not, I can almost hear Tom Araya's voice speaking the opening lines of Seasons in the Abyss.

This is shown off in songs like "From The Pinnicale To The Pit" . The choral breaks and aggressive organ sounds like something from the days of Deep Purple, Mercyful Fate and even Blue Öyster Cult. In "Pinnacle", Papa E. III even brings a little snarl to his delivery, which I really enjoy and would have nice if they applied more throughout the record.

The Song "Majesty" could have been taken right from a Deep Purple record with is deep heavy blues riffs that are quickly doubled by a Hammond B3-sounding organ. The crunching "chug, chiccca, chug" type rhythm is something you might hear played faster in bands like Iron Maiden, though in this context the sluggish stride of the cadence works it's devilish magic to charm you into their fullest realization of "seductive Satanism" so far.

I could go on and on about how great this album is and how the silky smooth, vocals keep you hooked, and bout how the unique sound from this Swedish Metal gleefully borrow from the vaults of their metal ancestors for inspiration. I bought the album having only heard a snippet of "Circe" and had no idea what to expect. I really like the little bit I heard and thought to myself, I need some new music, why not take a risk and just dive head first into the deep end. That is exactly what I did and I was a risk worth taking. I am sorry I didn't give them a chance before and thought they would be a flash in the pan gimmick. You'll be sorry if you don't go out and by this album. Listen to Ahnold!

Any suggestions on Albums, Artists or songs you would like me to review, leave a comment below or send me a message in Twitter or my comments page. If you enjoyed what you read or found it helpful give this post a like below and share it with your friends.

UPDATE: The album is out and it is fantastic!! Check it out, give it a listen and buy it!

In a September 2, 2014 interview with Rolling Stone writer CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN,Bassist Bill Gould said of 2015 release, "Hopefully it doesn't sound like a bunch of 50-year-old men, which we are!" From the 2 songs they have released so far I can honestly tell you that it absolutely does not sound like a bunch of old men trying to recapture their youth. If the full album is anything likethe first singles "Superhero" and "Motherfucker," then its promises to EPIC! The record will be a totally independent product — produced by Gould, recorded in their Oakland rehearsal space and released on their own imprint, Reclamation Records (which will be distributed by frontman Mike Patton's long-running label, Ipecac Recordings). The 7th album from FNM is titled Sol Invictus.

When asked about the title Gould said, "The name has to do with the fact that the band realized we were free from our recording obligations. We weren't touring, we have these songs that we were working on — that we think are pretty cool — and why don't we just do our own imprint and kind of reclaim our future, in a way? We own the future more than we ever have." They premiered the first single, "Motherfucker," at London's Hyde Park in July 2014, (Faith No More Motherfucker - London - Hyde Park - BST - 2014 - Youtube) It was later released on a seven-inch in November and limited to 5,000 copies as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday. The B-side has an interesting remix by electronic art-pop sound designer J.G. Thirlwell. Take a listen to the Motherfucker J.G Thirwell Remix.

I for one am extremely excited to hear new music from one of my all time favorite bands. Even though the lyrics aren't really anything special in these two songs and somewhat repetitive, it still brings on this feeling of HOLY SHIT it's so good! It will be interesting to see FNM introduce themselves to a whole a new generation and to see how the fans reaction is Right on! It's a warm fuzzy feeling hearing the vocal styling of Mike Patton with Faith No More. The reunited and renewed band is set to release Sol Invictus on May 18th 2015. You can get your special limited edition pre-order bundle like I did by visiting their merchandise store at solinvictus.kungfustore.com. Also check out their tour schedule at fnm.com. I am upset that I just found out about their SOLD OUT upcoming Chicago date at the Concord Music Hall May 7th. I hope that they come back through the area and that I can get in on the sale. In the meantime if you are chomping at the bit for some new live Faith No More like I am check out these videos from a performance at the Amobea Record Store in California about 4 moths ago.

Amoeba Part 1 - Faith No More plays new songs and some classics at Amoeba Records in California to promote the May 18th 2015 release of their 7th album Sol Invictus.

Faith No More Amoeba Part 2

Any suggestions on Albums, Artists or songs you would like me to review, leave a comment below or send me a message in Twitter or my comments page. If you enjoyed what you read or found it helpful give this post a like below and share it with your friends.

Most people would simply shout, “BORING!” at the mention of a conversation about a font. Fonts might not seem like it would be an interesting topic for a feature length documentary, however this is not the case. Helvetica is afeature-length independent film about typography centered on thetypeface of the same name, but it also digs deep into graphic design and global visual culture while featuring excellent looks at the origins of the font and a look it its many uses. The film does an excellent job at illuminating the personalities that are behind typefaces. It also explores the rift betweenmodernistsandpostmodernists, with the latter expressing and explaining their criticisms of the famous typeface. The documentary's soundtrack includes electronic music from Four Tet,The Album Leaf,Kim Hiorthøy,Caribou,Battles,Sam PrekopofThe Sea and Cake, andEl Ten Eleven. This adds to the slick and unique style of Gray’s vision.

Directed byGary Hustwit, it was released in 2007 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the typeface's introduction in 1957 and is considered the first of theDesign Trilogy by the director. The second film in is Objectified, a documentary film aboutindustrial design. The endcap to the trilogy is Urbanized which discusses the design of cities, looking at the issues and strategies behindurban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. u

Gary Hustwit has produced eight feature documentaries, including the award-winning I Am Trying To Break Your Heartabout the band Wilco; Moog, the documentary about electronic music pioneer Robert Moog; and an experimental feature film with the band Animal Collective. He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Helvetica.

His film and photography has been included in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, the Design Museum London, The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Storefront for Art and Architecture New York, and the Colette Gallery in Paris, among others.

If you are interested to know more about Gray visit his website at hustwit.com.

A documentary film by Gary Hustwit. http://www.helveticafilm.com

The trailer for the design documentary "Objectified", by Gary Hustwit. The trailer features the voices of Jonathan Ive, Andrew Blauvelt, Marc Newson, and Karim Rashid. The song is "I Like Van Halen Because My Sister Says They Are Cool" by El Ten Eleven. http://www.objectifiedfilm.com

Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Who is allowed to shape our cities, and how do they do it? Unlike many other fields of design, cities aren’t created by any one specialist or expert. There are many contributors to urban change, including ordinary citizens who can have a great impact improving the cities in which they live. By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, Urbanized frames a global discussion on the future of cities. Urbanized is the third part of Gary Hustwit’s design film trilogy, joining Helvetica and Objectified.

Any suggestions on Documentaries or feature films you would like me to review, leave a comment below or send me a message in Twitter or my comments page. If you enjoyed what you read or found it helpful give this post a like below and share it with your friends.

FIRST! Had to say it since this is my first ever blog. A while I back I thought to myself, "I should create a Blog." I never actually thought I would, but I had so many ideas. All you have to do is put your mind towards something and make it happen! That is what I learned after listening to over 600 episodes of TheNerdistPodcast with Chris Hardwick, Matt Mira and Jonah Ray. I figured if they can do it just by trying, why can't I? It's because of that and other motivating factors that I am hear now talking to you.

You're probably sitting there thinking to yourself, “Who is this guy?!" Well let me tell you who I am. I am a graphics designer with 9 years of experience. I am kind of a jack of all trades. I am have a delivery driver, sign installer, designer and producer and even a department lead. I have worked with fortune 500 hundred companies, local fine artists and small business entrepreneurs. I create images that stay fresh in a world competing for attention. At the beginning of the year I starting learning basic HTML and looking to expand my knowledge so that I can start creating and/or maintaining websites. That is why I joined Squarespace and started this blog. It is a way to express myself, keep my design skills fresh and practice building and maintaining a website.